Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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LOCATION BASED SERVICE (LBS) SYSTEM AND
METHOD FOR TARGETED ADVERTISING
BACKGROUND
Field
[0001] The present invention relates generally to communication, and more
specifically
to a system and method for performing location determination and providing
location
information, and providing advertising on a wireless terminal.
Background
[0002] Often, it is desirable to know the location of a wireless user. In
fact, it is
sometimes necessary. For example, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
has adopted a report and order for an enhanced 911 (E-9-1-1) wireless service
that
requires the location of a wireless terminal (e.g., a cellular phone) to be
provided to a
Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) each time a 911 call is made from the
wireless
terminal. In addition to the FCC mandate, a network operator/service provider
may
support various applications that use location based services. Such services
provide the
location of wireless terminals. "Applications" refer to the particular uses
that are made
of location information. Often times, applications are implemented with
computer
software that is either executed by a processor within a wireless terminal or
by a
processor located within a wireless infrastructure network that is in
communication with
the wireless terminal. Applications that use this information may include, for
example,
location-sensitive billing, asset tracking, asset monitoring and recovery,
fleet and
resource management, personal-location services, and so on. Some specific
examples
of applications for personal-location services include (1) providing a local
map to a
wireless terminal based on its location, (2) providing a recommendation for a
facility
(e.g., a hotel or a restaurant) based on the wireless terminal's location, and
(3) providing
directions to the recommended facility from the wireless terminal's location.
[0003] An example of system and method for a location based service can be
found in
U.S. Patent Application Number 10/769,420 entitled, "Location Based Service
(LBS)
System, Method and Apparatus For Authorization Of Mobile Station LBS
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Applications," filed January 30, 2004, and assigned to the assignee hereof,
and
expressly incorporated by reference herein.
[0004] Advertising based on an LBS would be helpful in targeting advertising
to
characteristics and location of a wireless terminal user. Accordingly, there
is a need for
a system and method for performing location determination and providing
location
information via a location based services (LBS) architecture to display
targeted
advertising based on characteristics and location of a wireless terminal user.
SUMMARY
[0005] In an aspect, a method of providing a location based service to create
a social
network, comprises activating a feature from a wireless terminal, registering
from the
wireless terminal with a location based service associated with the feature,
creating a
profile of a user of the feature, and displaying advertising based on the
profile and based
on geographic location of the wireless terminal.
[0006] In an aspect, the geographic location of the wireless terminal is based
on a
Global Positioning System (GPS). In an aspect, the advertising displayed is
based on
advertising's sponsor being represented on an activity map associated with the
feature.
[0007] In an aspect, wireless terminal, comprises means for activating a
feature on a
wireless terminal, means for registering from the wireless terminal with a
location based
service associated with the feature, means for creating a profile of a user of
the feature,
and means for displaying advertising based on the profile and based on
geographic
location of the wireless terminal.
[0008] In an aspect, computer readable media embodying a program of
instructions
executable by a computer, said computer readable media comprises, a computer
readable program code means for activating a feature from a wireless terminal,
a
computer readable program code means for registering from the wireless
terminal with a
location based service associated with the feature, a computer readable
program code
means for creating a profile of a user of the feature, and a computer readable
program
code means for displaying advertising based on the profile and based on
geographic
location of the wireless terminal.
[0009] It is understood that other embodiments of the present invention will
become
readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed
description,
wherein various embodiments of the invention are shown and described by way of
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illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and
different
embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various
other
respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention.
Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as
illustrative in
nature and not as restrictive. Various aspects and embodiments of the
invention are
described in further detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The disclosed method and apparatus will become more apparent from the
detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the
following
figures in which like reference characters identify like elements.
[0011] Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram of a wireless terminal
communicating
over a wireless link with a wireless network in accordance with an embodiment.
[0012] Figure 2 is a simplified block diagram of the components of a wireless
terminal
in accordance with an embodiment.
[0013] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an example of a protocol stack used
within an
embodiment.
[0014] Figure 4 illustrates a handset having a display of three possible,
selections for a
Qsocial user in accordance with an embodiment.
[0015] Figure 5 shows an activity map used for an instant date displaying
active males
and females in a geographic region.
[0016] Figure 6 shows a general flowchart for a method of providing a location
based
service to create a social network in accordance with an embodiment.
[0017] Figure 7 shows a functional block diagram of a location based service
system for.
creating a social network with targeted advertising.
[0018] Figure 8 shows a general flowchart for a method of providing a location
based
service to display advertising in accordance with an embodiment.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a system 100
including a
wireless terminal 101, wireless communication network 103 including a base
station
104, and a location based system 105 further comprising a mobile positioning
center
(MPC) 106 and position determining equipment (PDE) 107 in accordance with an
embodiment. The wireless terminal 101 may be any wireless device capable of
running
a location based service (LBS) application. For the purpose of this document,
LBS
applications include any program, applet, routine, or other such computer
implemented
algorithm that uses the location of either the wireless terminal in which the
application
is running or the location of another wireless terminal to provide information
or service
to a user. Examples of such LBS applications include programs that can: 1)
identify the
location of a wireless terminal being operated by another person to allow the
LBS client
(i.e., the person requesting the LBS service) to locate another person using a
properly
equipped wireless terminal; 2) locate a nearby product or service outlet and
provide the
user with directions to the outlet, such as an automatic teller machine or
restaurant; 3)
track a properly equipped wireless terminal, etc. Examples of wireless devices
capable
of running an LBS application include cellular telephones, wireless modems,
personal
information managers (PIMs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc.
[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the wireless terminal 101 communicates over a
wireless
link 102 with the wireless network 103. The wireless network 103 includes at
least a
base station 104 capable of receiving information from, and transmitting
information to,
the wireless terminal 101 over the wireless link 102. For the purposes of this
disclosure,
the base station 104 includes various other components of the wireless network
103
which are not shown for the sake of simplicity, such as base station
controllers (BSCs),
mobile switching centers (MSCs), etc.
[0021] The base station 104 is coupled to the MPC 106 by a communication
medium,
including, but not limited to cables, microwave links, satellite communication
links, etc.
Similarly, the MPC 106 is coupled to the PDE 107 by a communication medium.
[0022] Figure 2 is a simplified block diagram of the components of a wireless
terminal
101 in accordance with an embodiment. The wireless terminal 101 shown in
Figure 2
includes a transceiver 201, Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver hardware
202, a
processor 203, an application memory 205, a general purpose memory 207, and
antennas 211, 212. Transceiver 201 transmits and receives wireless signals
from its
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antenna 211. GPS receiver hardware 202 transmits and receives wireless signals
including location information from its antenna 212.
[0023] The processor 203 is shown as one block. However, it should be
understood by
those skilled in the art that the functions disclosed as being performed by
the processor
203 may be performed by a collection of discrete processors either acting in
concert or
operating independently. Accordingly, such a collection of processors may be
either
coupled together in order to perform the disclosed functions or they may
operate
completely independent of one another. Furthermore, in accordance with
alternative
embodiments, the application memory 205 and general purpose memory 207 may be
combined into a single memory device that stores the information disclosed
herein as
being stored in these two memories 205, 207. In yet another alternative
embodiment,
the wireless terminal 101 might comprise several additional independent memory
devices that share responsibility for storing information within the wireless
terminal
101.
[0024] The processor 203 comprises several functions that operate in concert
as a
protocol stack. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an example of a protocol
stack used
within an embodiment For the purpose of this disclosure, a protocol stack is
any set of
software routines or program instructions that may operate together, typically
with one
routine building on and using the functions of another lower level routine or
program.
A first function within the protocol stack of Figure 3 is the operating system
301. The
operating system 301 is a foundational function upon which other functions
build. That
is, the operating system 301 includes functions that can be accessed and used
by the
other functions performed within the processor 203. In accordance with an
embodiment, the operating system 301 is a Binary Run-time Environment for
Wireless
(BREW) operating system. In an alternative embodiment, the operating system
301 is a
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) system. In another alternative embodiment,
the
operating system is a Short Message Service (SMS) operating system. In yet
another
alternative embodiment, the operating system is a Java operating system, etc.
Java is a
trademark for the operating system of Sun Microsystems. Those skilled in the
art will
appreciate that the particular operating system used is not directly relevant
to the
presently disclosed method and apparatus for performing location determination
and
providing location information via a location based services (LBS)
architecture.
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[0025] In accordance with an embodiment, an LBS application 303 runs on top of
the
operating system 301. In one example, the LBS application 303 may access and
utilize
user interface functions to receive information from the wireless terminal
user through a
conventional data input device, such as a keyboard or touch screen. The LBS
application may also access and utilize the operating system functions to
provide
information back to the wireless terminal user through a liquid crystal diode
(LCD)
display screen.
[0026] One function of the LBS application is to provide the wireless terminal
user with
the ability to locate the wireless terminal, determine what points of interest
and service
outlets are in the vicinity of the wireless terminal (e.g., shops, automatic
teller machines,
restaurants, museums, etc.) and provide navigational directions and maps to
the user
based on a knowledge of the location of the wireless terminal and the location
of
particular service outlets and points of interest.
[0027] The LBS application 303 locates the wireless terminal 101 by accessing
a
position location engine 305. The position location engine 305 may be any
function
capable of determining the location of the wireless terminal 101. In an
embodiment, the
position location engine 305 is a component of a global positioning satellite
(GPS)
system. The position location engine 305 in this example includes a GPS
receiver
function that allows the wireless terminal (together with the GPS receiver
hardware
202) to receive information from GPS satellites for the purpose of determining
the
location of the wireless terminal 101.
[0028] In addition, in an embodiment, the position location engine 305
requests and
receives aiding information from the PDE 107. For example, in an embodiment,
the
wireless terminal requests information as to which satellites are "in view".
If a satellite
is in view, then the wireless terminal 101 should be able to receive and
demodulate
information from that satellite.
[0029] In addition, the wireless terminal 101 might request information
regarding the
locations of the in-view satellites, information about correction factors to
be used when
calculating the location of the wireless terminal 101 using information
received from the
in-view satellites, information regarding the amount of Doppler shift that the
wireless
terminal 101 might expect to encounter when receiving signals from the in-view
satellites, and other such useful information. This information enables the
wireless
terminal 101 to more rapidly detect and "acquire" satellites. Acquisition of a
satellite
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refers to the process by which the wireless terminal 101 receives signals
transmitted
from the satellite and aligns the received information with local timing
within the
wireless terminal 101 in preparation for the wireless terminal 101 to
interpret
information modulated on the signals transmitted by the satellite.
[0030] Figure 3 also shows a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP)
wrapper 307 in accordance with an embodiment. The TCP/IP wrapper 307 is a
protocol
layer that provides support for sending and receiving messages in accordance
with the
well-known TCP/IP communication protocol. Accordingly, information that is to
be
transmitted by the wireless terminal 101 in accordance with the TCP/IP
protocol is
provided to the TCP/IP wrapper 307. The TCP/IP wrapper 307 then formats the
information appropriately in accordance with the TCP/IP protocol specification
so that
other devices to which the information is to be transmitted can receive and
interpret the
information sent by the wireless terminal 101.
[0031] Once the TCP/IP wrapper 307 has formatted the information, the
formatted
information is passed to the TCP/IP layer 309. The TCP/IP layer 309 transmits
the
information in accordance with the TCP/IP protocol (i.e., the request/response
ordering
of the messages which constitute the handshake that takes place between a
transmitting
and receiving device in accordance with the TCP/IP protocol).
[0032] Qsocial is an LBS application that combines wireless multimedia and
high speed
data services. In an embodiment, Qsocial is an online dating application.
Using
Qsocial as an online dating application, users can arrange social engagements
using
Qsocials' multi-media features and location based services.
[0033] A Qsocial user can arrange for an instant date with another Qsocial
user. Such
an arrangement would create a social network. A social network is a plurality
of users
coupled by a social purpose.
[00341 In accordance with an embodiment, the instant date can be arranged
spontaneously based on the profile and location of the Qsocial users. For
example, a
Betty and Jane may be spending an evening in a nightclub district. They think
it would
be fun to have dates. In accordance with an embodiment, they use an instant
date
feature of Qsocial to register that they are actively looking for dates.
[0035] A Qsocial server accesses their profiles given they were previously
stored.
Alternatively, the Qsocial server interrogates the Qsocial users for their
profiles.
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[0036] The Qsocial server (not shown) can be a part of the wireless network
103 of
figure 1 or can be part of another network. It would be apparent to those
skilled in the
art that the Qsocial server can be a single server or a bank of servers not
necessarily in
geographical proximity to one another. It would also be apparent to those
skilled in the
art that a server need not be labeled a server. A server is a shared device on
a network
having a processor and a memory.
[0037] Once registered, the Qsocial server accesses the profiles and location
of Betty
and Jane. The Qsocial server then sends Betty and Jane profile(s) of people
that match
their profiles and location. Betty and Jane select from a list of matched
profiles and
locations. The instant date feature of Qsocial notifies their selections that
they have
been selected. Their selections may accept or deny the implied proposal from
being
selected. If the selections, i.e., the people selected, accept the implied
proposal, then a
meeting place may be arranged.
[0038] Figure 4 illustrates a handset having a display of three possible
selections for a
Qsocial user in accordance with an embodiment. The Qsocial user may scroll up
or
down the list for more possible selections if there are more selections
available.
[0039] In an embodiment, selections match the profiles of the registered
instant date
users. Alternatively, the selections may match a desired profile or subset of
a profile.
[0040] A profile comprises a plurality of features regarding a Qsocial user.
In
accordance with an embodiment, a profile includes the age, height, weight,
gender, race/
ethnicity, religion, education, hobby(s), and user-defined features of a
Qsocial user.
[0041] A Qsocial user may define a desired profile to be matched. A user may
not care
about some features and can specify "don't care" for those particular
features. For
example, a Qsocial user may not care about the race, ethnicity, or religion of
another
person. On the other hand, a Qsocial user may have very specific requirements
about a
desired match. For example, the Qsocial user may want a date with a surfer or
a
skateboarder and may define such a feature in a profile.
[0042] In an embodiment, Qsocial includes an activity map feature. Activity
maps
provide a map of active Qsocial users within a geographic area. An activity
map may
provide historical statistics of locations of active users.
[0043] What is considered active depends on the application of the activity
map. For
example, an activity map used for an instant date may show all the active
males 502 and
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females 504 in a region as shown in figure 5. In an embodiment, an active user
is a user
that indicates that he/she is active.
[0044] In an embodiment, the instant date feature utilizes the activity map
feature. The
candidates displayed are those that match a profile and are active on a
selected activity
map. Thus, a Qsocial user that matches the profile, but is not represented on
the
selected activity map is not shown as a candidate in accordance with an
embodiment. In
an embodiment, a Qsocial user associates an activity map with the instant date
feature.
The Qsocial user may dynamically change the activity map by changing
parameters of
the activity map. Such parameters may include lorigitudinal and latitude
ranges. The
Qsocial user may also indicate the center of the activity map and may scroll
the activity
map up, down, right, or left.
[0045] In accordance with an embodiment, the geographic dimensions of the
activity
map may be dynamically modified according to user input for predefined
parameters.
For example, a predefined parameter may include display number of candidates.
Thus,
a Qsocial user entering "10" as an input for display number of candidates,
results in the
currently selected activity map expanding or shrinking such that 10 candidates
are
displayed. The activity map conforms to the input parameter.
[0046] In an embodiment, a matcher engine takes as input a profile and using
artificial
intelligence techniques known in the art, formulates a match for the Qsocial
user
responsive to the input profile. The matcher engine is a software module that
executes
on the Qsocial server. The matcher engine is not limited to simple pattern
matching, but
may be parameterized and weigh characteristics of the input profile according
to
sociological studies for example. In accordance with another embodiment, the
matcher
engine may be dynamically modified by the user to take as input any data that
a user
may deem relevant.
[0047] In accordance with an embodiment, Qsocial includes a club mingle
feature. In
an embodiment, the club mingle feature requires only temporary registration.
The
registration is valid only for a period of time. In an embodiment, the period
of time can
be programmable. Profiles can be used for matching and filtering as they can
in an
instant date feature.
[0048] In an embodiment, the club mingle application does not need the
location based
service. For example, Betty and Jane go to a nightclub. After entering the
nightclub,
they use the club mingle feature and register with the nightclub's mingle
group. They
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use their camera phone to submit their current image so they can be recognized
in the
club. Betty spots a male she would like to dance with and browses the mingle
group on
her phone to see if he has registered. Betty finds the male in the nightclub's
mingle
group and sends him an invitation to dance.
[0049] In accordance with an embodiment, Qsocial includes a conference
companion
feature. The conference companion feature also has temporary registration, but
is event
and location based. Registration is limited to those active users within a
particular
geographic location for a particular event. Betty, from Idaho, attends a
developer's
conference in San Diego. Betty uses her conference companion feature to
register with
a conference companion group, indicating interest in LBS applications. Other
registrants for the conference companion group see on their wireless terminals
display
that Betty has registered with the conference companion group. Two of the
registrants
for the conference companion group then send invitations to Betty inviting her
to have
lunch. Betty views her wireless terminal's display and sees that she has two
invitations.
She then selects one of the invitations, the selection being displayed on the
wireless
terrninal display of the selected inviter.
[0050] In accordance with an embodiment, Qsocial includes an interest group
feature.
The interest group feature requires an LBS application. The interest group is
not
necessarily romantic. In an embodiment, the interest group can be spontaneous
and can
be setup online. For example, on a Saturday morning, Alex wants to play pick-
up
basketball. Alex registers as active in an interest group he creates for
basketball. Five
other active users of Qsocial see the newly created interest group based on
their being in
the same geographical location as Alex and their having an interest in
basketball, which
is in their profile. The five active users respond, and using the interest
group feature,
arrange to meet at the Neighborhood Park and play 3-on-3 basketball. In
creating the
basketball interest group, Alex could put a time limit on the basketball
interest group.
[0051] In an embodiment, an interest group can be a fixed interest group.
There is no
time limit on the fixed interest group. For example, the basketball interest
group could
have already existed. Thus, an interest group can be static or dynamic.
[0052] In accordance with an embodiment, Qsocial includes product features.
Using
the club mingle feature, a business establishment such as a nightclub can
register as an
advertiser of the club mingle feature and offer drinks at a discount to active
users of the
club mingle feature. The ad offering the discount can be active or passive.
The ad can
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be pushed to an active user utilizing the club mingle feature when mingling
with others
at the business establishment. The ad can also be available to an active user
passively.
The user must pull the ad from an ad database. In contrast to pushing an ad,
pulling an
ad from a database means the ad becomes available to an active user only if
the active
user searches or finds the ad from Qsocial's database of ad sponsors.
[0053] The instant date feature also includes an advertisiing feature much
like the club
mingle feature. Advertising can be pushed or pulled. An example of push
advertising
for the instant date feature includes a Qsocial server locating a nearby
florist and giving
the active user access to an online purchase ready for pick-up.
[0054] Also using the instant date feature, an active user can arrange for a
prepaid cab
pick-up/drop-off for his/her date without knowing the address of his/her date.
Thus, the
home address of a date can be kept private from the other party. In an
embodiment, the
date's active state is automatically deactivated upon payment of the cab pick-
up/drop-
off. In an embodiment, the date has to manually deactivate his/her active
state before
returning home to prevent the other party from knowing his/her location.
[0055] Also in conjunction with the instant date feature, once a date is
accepted and
agreed upon, an LBS is used to identify local theater and purchase tickets,
for example.
In another example, an LBS is used to identify a local restaurant and make
reservations.
[0056] In an embodiment, the Qsocial feature includes a menu having instant
date,
activity maps, club mingle, conference companion, interest group, and product
features
as selections.
[0057] In an embodiment, multimedia messaging services (MMS) are used in
conjunction with the Qsocial features.
[0058] Figure 6 shows a general flowchart 600 for a method of providing a
location
based service to create a social network in accordance with an embodiment. In
step
602, a feature is activated from a wireless terminal. It would be apparent to
those
skilled in the art that any technique known in the art to activate a feature
can be used. In
step 604 a user registers from the wireless terminal with a location based
service
associated with the feature. In step 606, a profile is created of a user of
the feature. In
step 608, candidates for a date are displayed based on the profile and based
on the
geographic location of the candidates.
[0059] In an embodiment, advertising can be targeted to a wireless terminal
based on
profile and location of a wireless terminal user. Figure 7 shows a functional
block
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diagram of a location based service system for creating a social network with
targeted
advertising. Figure 7 shows a wireless termina1701 communicating over a
wireless link
with a wireless network 703, which in turn is coupled to a location based
service 705, a
Qsocial server 707, and an advertising server (hereinafter ad server) 711 in
accordance
with an embodiment. The Qsocial server 707 further comprises a matcher 708 and
user
profiles 709.
[0060] The Qsocial server 707 can be a part of the wireless network 703 or can
be part
of another network. It would be apparent to those skilled in the art that the
Qsocial
server 707, LBS 705, and ad server 711 can be implemented using a single
server or a
bank of servers not necessarily in geographical proximity to one another.
Further,
elements of the Qsocial server 707 can be implemented using separate servers.
Thus,
the matcher 708 and the user profiles 709 can be located on separate servers,
but
coupled to each other in order for the matcher to read/write to/from the user
profiles
709.
[0061] It would be apparent to those skilled in the art that there are a
number of
configurations for the functional blocks of Figure 7. Thus, for example, the
Qsocial
server 707 could be directly coupled to the wireless network 703 while the LBS
705 is
directly coupled to the wireless network 703 and the Qsocial server 707.
[0062] In an embodiment, a user has to enter his or her profile in order to
use an LBS
application or feature. Alternatively, a profile is not required in order to
use an LBS
application or feature in another embodiment. In an embodiment, a user must
give
permission for his or her profile to be used for targeted advertising.
Alternatively, no
such permission is required for a user's profile to be used for targeted
advertising in
another embodiment.
[0063] In an embodiment with targeted advertising, a Qsocial application may
include
the following extensions:
= Extensions requiring a profile to be registered by each user to be allowed
use of an
application.
= Extensions to return the activity state of a subscriber.
= Extensions to return real-time location information of a subscriber.
= Extensions and provisions in a wireless terminal user interface to display
advertisements during a user's active use of an LBS.
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[0064] The ad server 711 includes a memory comprising advertising content. In
an
embodiment, the ad server 711 delivers advertising content based on active
user's
profiles and location. The LBS 705 sends a message indicating an active user's
location
to the Qsocial server 707. The Qsocial server 707 sends a message to the ad
server 711
indicating an active user's profile and location. The ad server 711 reads the
active
user's profile and location. The ad server 711 sends a message containing
advertising
content based on the active user's profile and/or location to the Qsocial
server 707,
which then gets transmitted through the wireless network 703 on to the
wireless
terminal 701.
[0065] In an embodiment, advertisements are delivered from the ad server 711
to the
wireless terminal 701 based only on the type of application a wireless
terminal user is
using and the wireless terminal user's location. For example, the ad server
711 may
deliver an advertising for a pizza without needing a profile of a wireless
terminal user,
but deliver the pizza advertising based on the wireless terminal user using a
bowling
application and being in the geographical vicinity of a pizza restaurant
sponsoring the
pizza advertising. The presumption programmed into the ad server 711 is that
people
who use the bowling application are more likely to also want pizza.
[0066] In an embodiment, the ad server 711 keeps track of the profiles of
wireless
terminal users who utilize the delivered advertising content from the ad
server 711. For
example, the ad server 711 can keep track of the profiles of wireless users
that request
more information regarding delivered advertising content. The ad server 711
may not
only keep track of the profiles of a wireless user, but also may keep track of
the actions
taken by a wireless user after advertising content has been delivered to the
wireless user.
For example, the ad server 711 may keep track of whether a user frequented a
sponsor
of the advertising content, which can be determined by locating the wireless
terminal
within a sponsor's immediate geographical region.
[0067] Not only may online sponsors of advertising content be able to use
historical
tracking data, but also traditional offline advertisers could utilize such
historical
tracking data to, for example, inform their advertising content.
[0068] The ad server 711 includes billing software that keeps track of the
advertising
content being delivered. It would be apparent to those skilled in the art that
any of
numerous billing systems known in the art may be utilized.
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[0069] In an embodiment, wireless terminal users agree to receive
advertisements as
part of an application download agreement. In addition to advertisements being
targeted by profile and location of the wireless terminal user, the
advertisements can
also be based on the time-of-day. Thus, a restaurant may have the ad server
711 push
an advertisement for breakfast in the morning, lunch in the afternoon, and
dinner in the
evening for a wireless terminal user in the geographic region of the
restaurant.
[0070] In an embodiment, wireless terminal users are not interrupted to view
advertisements such as with pop ups. Rather, advertisements are integrated
into
applications during transitions and wait periods. The advertisements are
displayed
while a subscriber is already using an application on the wireless terminal.
[0071] In an embodiment, an advertisement has an associated display period.
Thus, an
advertisement may be displayed for five seconds, for example. It would be
apparent to
those skilled in the art that the display period may be dependent on a host of
factors
including subscribers' tolerance for advertising, the integrated application,
and a
sponsor's payment for such advertising.
[0072] In addition to advertising being displayed, advertising may also be
sent to an
advertisement mailbox of the subscriber's wireless terminal. Thus, the
advertisement is
saved in the advertisement mailbox for the subscriber's future reference. Such
advertisements include coupons, for example.
[0073] Figure 8 shows a general flowchart 800 for a method of providing a
location
based service to display advertising in accordance with an embodiment. In step
802, a
feature is activated from a wireless terminal. It would be apparent to those
skilled in the
art that any technique known in the art to activate a feature can be used. In
step 804 a
user registers from the wireless terminal with a location based service
associated with
the date feature. In step 806, a profile is created of a user of the feature.
In step 808,
advertising is displayed based on the profile and based on geographic location
of the
wireless terminal.
[0074] In an embodiment, an activity map may be associated with a feature,
wherein
displaying advertising based on geographic location of the wireless terminal
is based on
the wireless terminal being represented on the associated activity map. For
example, a
one-square mile activity map may subsume two sponsors of advertising in which
case a
wireless terminal user that has the one-square mile activity map displayed may
be
targeted from the two sponsors. Whereas, a two-square mile activity map may
subsume
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seven sponsors of advertising in which case a wireless terminal user that has
the two-
square mile activity map displayed may be targeted from seven sponsors.
[0075] Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative
logical
blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with
the
embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware,
computer
software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this
interchangeability of
hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules,
circuits, and
steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality.
Whether such
functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the
particular
application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled
artisans may
implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular
application,
but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a
departure from
the scope of the present invention.
[0076] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits
described in
connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or
performed
with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an
application
specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or
other
programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete
hardware
components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions
described
herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the
alternative, the
processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or
state
machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing
devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of
microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core,
or any
other such configuration.
[0077] The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the
embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a
software
module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software
module
may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory,
EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other
form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is
coupled to
the processor such the processor can read information from, and write
information to,
the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to
the
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processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The
ASIC
may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the
storage medium
may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.
[0078] The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to
enable any
person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various
modifications to
these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and
the generic
principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without
departing from
the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not
intended to be
limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope
consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
